Apparatus for curing meat.



I. e. LINCOLN.

APPARATUS FOR CURING MEAT.

APPLICATION FILED N012?. 1908.

1,037,941, Patented Sept. 10, 1912.

j/'ZIGJ 23 m En* I WITNESSEJ- [NVZ/Via@ M. E65 W/@fwz fm mf @La/Lgf] gam/f ma( UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIcE.

JOHN C. LINCOLN, OF EAST CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELECTRIC MEAT CURING COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, -A COBIORATION F MAINE.

APPARATUS FORJ GUIING HEAT.

specimen@ q1 Letten ramt.

Patented sept. 1o, 1912.

'. `To all-'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. LINCOLN, a citizen of the United States, residing at' East Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of-Clhio,i have invented a certain new electric current passing throu h the meat and brine greatly reduces the time required for curing. The current,however, tends to heat the meat and brine and the disintegrating electrodes and the products of electrolysis tend to contaminate it: -The present invention provides very simple and effective=means vfor keeping the brine and meat cool. and for preventing such contamination. This same. means produces the further de- 25 sirable result of keeping some movement in the-brine, causing it to act more etectively y on the various pieces-ot` meat.

I accomplish all the above results by blasts of air through the brine. These blasts agi- 80 tate -the brine and, by being previously cooled, keep the brine at the proper temperature, and moreover, the blasts areso directed as to jcause a flow of the liquid sur'- rounding the electrodes in a direct-ion away 85 from the curing portion of the tank so as to prevent any commingling of the brine immediately around the meat with any undesirable matter formed at the electrodes. l The invention is hereinafter more fully explained, and its essential characteristics setout in the claims.

The drawings show an approved form of my apparatus.

' Figure 1 isa sectional side elevation thereof; Fig. 2 is a plan; and Fig-3 is atransverse vertical section.

As shownin the drawings, 1 represents a tank-formed to contain suitable trays 2 in which are placed pieces of meat 3. The end portions of the tank are=partially separated from the intermediate portions by partitions 4, which partitions, however, do not extend to the bottom of the tank. Within the cempartments formed between thepartitions 4 and the respective ends 5 of the tank are electrodes 6 and 7. Electrodes 6 are all coupled in multiple, and those 7 in'multiple, and the ltwo sets constitute terminals of a circuit 8 from a suitable source of current 9. This current passes from one set of electrodes to the other through the adjacent brine beneath the partitions4,-and through the brine and` meat. g To perform the triple function of agitating the brine, cooling it, and preventing the brlne around the electrodes from commingling with the rest of the brine, I provide a system of blasts of cold air. y

. 10 represents a pump or rotary blower for compressing the air.

11 is a coil pipe through, which the air Hows in which it is Vcooled by proximity with a coil 12 of a suitable cooling system, containing compressed ammonia or other coolin medium.. From the coil 11, the air conduit is shown as branching into three pipes, one 13 leading to a chamber 14 inthe bottom of the tank, and the others 15 and 16 leading to chambers 17 and 18 respectively beneath the com artmentswhich are occupied by the-electr es 6 and 7.'

Each of the chambers 14, 17 and 18 communicates with the lspace above it by suitable openings or nozzles. The area of the nozzles in t-he chamber 14 are such that the flow of air pressure Iis much :reduced and' lonly such flow is maintained as will give a gentle agitation to the brine and properly cool it. The air blasts from the chambers V17 and 18,'however, are of more force and serve to give a decided u Ward current in the compartments above t em, causing the brine therein to continuously overlow the tops of the end 'walls 5L This continuousoverflow tends to lower `the vlevel of the brine within the tank, `which is compensated for by additional brine from a tank 23,-the valve 21 of which is controlled by suitable means, as foriexaxnple, a .glass float22'on the brine. Y

When the brine passes over the ends of the tank, it runs 4down the draining boards 19 and runs into the sewer. The overflow of the brine need-not be. verygreat and it is a considerable time before .any material amount has been removed. At vthe same time, enough is removed to make a continuons upward current around the electrodes, preventing any products of electrol sis or disintegrated electrodes from commmgling with the brine'in the tank proper. The blasts of air through the electrode compartments cause the brme therein to bubble, and the amount which passes over is in the form of foam and Vincapable of carrying electric current. The flow of current from one set of electrodes to the other through the brine and meat is not diminished by the overflow, nor is there any chance of ashort circuit by reason of it.

It will beseen that I have, by t-he above means, provided a very simple apparatus' for carrying on the curing process. The products of electrolysis and the disintegrating electrodes are continuously and automatically removed, the brine is kept at the proper level and at the proper`temperature. It is not necessary to stop the operation either to cool the brine or to regulate its level in the tank or to remove any contamination. The continuous agitation of the brine by the pasing air insures all parts ofthe meat being evenly acted upon.

By using an alternating current, or a direct current periodically reversed, as set out in my co-pending applications, the formation of chlorin or alkali salts in any undesirable amount at the electrode may be prevented. If a direct current is used continuously without reversing, the chlorin and sodium hydrate, etc., in solution, may be taken care of by the outwardly ilowing liipid, while a suit-able hood and fan may ta e care of the escaping chlorin gas., The dynamo shown lat 9 is 'intended tobe illustrativeof means for producing any of these forms of current. The present application relates more particularly to an apparatus' adapted to cause the constant removal of the brine around the electrode and the coollng of the brine within the tank, and'may be used with any form of current desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a preserving apparatus, the combination of a vessel adapted to contain the articles to be preserved and a fluid electrolyte, electrodes in the vessel, means for supplying an electric current thereto which passes through the articles and electrolyte, and means for forcing cold air through the fluid to perform the trlple result of agitating it about the articles being preserved and` cooling it and causing it to ilow at the electrodes away from such articles.

2. In an apparatus for preserving, the combination of a vessel, electrodes therein, partitions between the electrodes and the intermediate 4portion of the vessel, there being openings across the partitions adjacent to their lower ends, and means for forcing air into the bottom of the vessel. Y

3. In an apparatus for preserving, the combination` of a vessel adapted to contain the articles to be preserved and a fluid prebeing preserved, and means for properlyl maintaining the level of the liquid in the tank by adding preservative medium thereto.

y5. In an apparatus for preserving, the combination of a vessel, trays or racks within the vessel, electrodes in the vessel at the opposite ends of such trays or racks, `partitions between the electrodes and the racks, and means for causin partitions and the en outwardly. i

6. In an apparatus for preserving, the combination of a vessel having a falsev bottom, openings through such bottom, means for forcing air into the space beneath the false bottom, which air passes upwardly through such false bottom, electrodes in the vessel, and means for supplying electric current thereto. v

7. In an apparatus for preserving, the combination of avessel having a bottom and a false bottom, openings throughthe false bottom, means for supplying air to the space between the bottoms, trays or racks carrying the articles to be preserved in the vessel above the false bottom, and means for passing a current ofelectricity through such articles and through the medium' surrounding them.

8. In an apparatus for preserving, the combination of a vessel adapted to contain the articles to be preserved and a liquid preserving medium, electrodes in the vessel, means for supplying a 'current of electricity thereto which passes through the preserving medium, means for conduct-ing away an overflow adjacent to the electrodes, partitions between the electrodes and the articles being preserved, and means for causing the electrolyte on the outer side of such partitions to ow outwardly.

9. In an apparatus for preserving, the

s of the vessel to ow combination of a vessel adapted to contain the fluid between the j fresh preservative liquid into the vessel to take the place of the overflow, and a float and valve controlled thereby -for regulating such addition according to the level yin the vessel.

10. In a preserving apparatus, the combi. nation of a vessel adapted to contain the articles to be preserved and a liquid preserving electrolyte, electrodes in the vessel,

10 means for confining a limited quantity of such limited quantity to divert it from the articles being preserved.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto` aix iny 15 signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN C. LINCOLN. Witnesses:

F. B. WAGNER, BRENNAN B. WEST. 

